Last year, mineral water brand Evian debut a collapsible water dispenser called Renew, made from recycled plastic. Designed for home use, the appliance can store five liters of mineral water and helps to reduce the use of plastic packaging. The skin of the dispenser’s bubble-like top is thin and light, made using 66% less plastic than a 1.5-liter Evian bottle.
Evian global brand vice-president Patricia Oliva said:
At Evian, we owe everything to nature and are committed to a healthy planet. This will only be achieved by new ways of thinking and of doing business. This is why we’re challenging ourselves to reinvent new ways to provide Evian natural mineral water to consumers.
Evian’s bigger, overall, goal is to become a circular brand by 2025, which requires the elimination of waste and pollution and nurturing, as opposed to exploiting the natural world. It’s well on its way to achieving the goal too. For example, in April 2020 the brand was certified carbon neutral by the Carbon Trust through initiatives including a project to plant 130 million trees and a renewable energy scheme at its bottling plant.
And now, it has unveiled its first 100% recycled plastic bottle. It is a 400ml recyclable bottle made of recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET). The logo is embossed onto the package instead of a label eliminating the use of even more plastic. The pink cap however is made from virgin high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and oriented polypropylene (OPP), but it is recyclable.
Evian vice president Shweta Harit, said:
It took almost two years for us to develop this innovation. Having overcome industry-wide restrictions in technology and production, this is the first time that Evian has been able to implement a fully circular bottle design.
The rest of the brand’s bottles are made from approximately 40% recycled plastic but will be 100% by 2025.
Harit continued:
This is a move that will see the brand adopt a circular approach to its plastic usage, where plastic is kept within the economy and out of nature, meaning that their bottles will be made from 100% recycled plastic.
Evian is working with recycling technology company Loop Industries to develop advanced ways of converting used PET plastic into recycled bottles.
Harit said:
Evian will keep identifying and supporting recycling solutions to ensure bottles are recycled properly, reducing dependency on newly created plastic while generating a reliable supply of recycled plastic. Evian is determined to leverage its global voice to drive consumer behavior change around plastic waste and recycling.
The new 400ml recycled plastic bottles are now available in selected eateries and hotels in France. They will be available in other countries, including UAE, Vietnam, Singapore, Philippines, Mexico, and Malaysia from September 2020.
